10 Amazing Affordable Safaris

The Deal: The May-September low season is a great time for South African deals. True, it's raining on the coasts, but the interior is dry, so the bush is less thick and you can see more animals. Some of the best deals are at lodges in the arid Karoo region in the Eastern Cape, three hours inland from the coast. Samara Private Game Reserve, a desert-chic, six-suite lodge, has all the refinement of the swankiest Kruger properties, but costs a bargain $165 per person per night off-season (May-July 2008)—which includes game drives and meals served with local wine. The reserve has rhino, cheetah, antelope, and mountain zebra; if you want to see elephants, visit Addo National Elephant Park, three hours away.

10 Amazing Affordable Safaris

The Deal: The May-September low season is a great time for South African deals. True, it's raining on the coasts, but the interior is dry, so the bush is less thick and you can see more animals. Some of the best deals are at lodges in the arid Karoo region in the Eastern Cape, three hours inland from the coast. Samara Private Game Reserve, a desert-chic, six-suite lodge, has all the refinement of the swankiest Kruger properties, but costs a bargain $165 per person per night off-season (May-July 2008)—which includes game drives and meals served with local wine. The reserve has rhino, cheetah, antelope, and mountain zebra; if you want to see elephants, visit Addo National Elephant Park, three hours away.